For the past two years, Academie Duello and Bard on the Beach have produced a one-night-only showcase of swordplay and Shakespeare.
The evening begins and ends with an address by Christopher Gaze, the Artistic Director of Bard on the Beach.
Duello’s founder, Devon Boorman, explains historical weapon use in Elizabethan England as well as previous eras featured in Shakespeare’s plays.
Duello’s Head of Stage Combat, David McCormick, each year explores a different aspect of performance combat. In 2014, they met each other in the grand finale as Macbeth and MacDuff.
Historical fiction author C.C. Humphreys has given a speech and a reading both years.
In our 2013 show, we had a speech from Bard’s Fight Director, Nick Harrison, as well as a fight choreographed by him, but he was unable to participate in 2014.
And we give the audience what they want: plenty of violence… some of it choreographed and rehearsed, some of it real competition with protective gear, some of it to demonstrate clearly the tactics used.
See For Yourself
Enjoy our trailer video and a 14-minute condensation of the show, both from 2014:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GiIHzjB6kA&authuser=0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv0vfCrq9_w&authuser=0
Video too long? Here’s the last moment, courtesy of very fast work by our own make-up/SFX expert, Martina Sandelin:
Become an Action Hero!
Seriously, if you’re an actor and you want to be cast as a superhero, a spy, a vengeful father with a certain set of skills… you have to learn some of those skills. The Fight Directors Canada (FDC) Basic Certification tells the world that you’ve studied stage combat with the highest standards, and can perform realistic and powerful fights but keep completely safe through rehearsals and every take. For film or stage, if you need to create the illusion of violence with sword, unarmed brawling, or with a stick, you’ve got to take our 2-week intensive called Combat Acting.
Read more and sign up here: Combat Acting at Academie Duello